GARBAGE AND problems associated with improper disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) became a major issue both in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad on Thursday. While NCP corporators of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) took to dumping garbage at the door of the corporation, irate villagers of Phursungi gram panchayat met the mayor of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to highlight their water woes.

Datta Sane, the NCP corporator from Chikali area, had got a truck load of garbage and dumped it at the entrance of the PCMC building. The general body of the PCMC was to meet on Thursday to elect members of various committees. Sane claimed that the corporation had failed to ensure proper collection of MSW at his ward since the last few days so he had to take this step to highlight the problem. Sane withdrew his agitation after assurance from the civic officials of regular lifting of garbage henceforth.

On Thursday, Pune’s Mayor Mukta Tilak met a delegation of villagers from Phursungi who also sought urgent intervention. PMC’s dumping ground is located at the village and villagers had long complained of water woes arising out of contamination of untreated leachate in the ground water of the area. Tilak said the villagers have asked for an increase in the number of water tankers supplying water to the village. “At present, 40,000 tankers supply water to the village but they wanted it to be increased,” she said. The villagers also wanted pumps to be provided to them to help them lift water to their tanks.